CLEAN ENERGY RESOURCES
FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT
FUNDING & SUPPORT
NH Community Development Finance Authority’s (CDFA) Community Facilities Energy Assessment Program provides grant funding to reduce the cost of energy-related studies for New Hampshire municipalities and nonprofit organizations.
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Link:
www.resources.nhcdfa.org/programs/community-facilities-energy-assessment-program/
Supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Clean Cities Program, the Granite State Clean Cities Coalition (GSCCC) seeks to reduce petroleum use in transportation through the use of domestically produced, cleaner burning alternative fuels and other fuel reduction strategies.
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Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), public and tax-exempt entities can access clean energy tax incentives for the first time. According to cleanenergy.gov/directpay, that means governments, nonprofits, schools, churches, public power, rural coops, and more are now eligible to receive cash from the IRS, “including for generating clean electricity through solar, wind, and battery storage projects; building community solar projects that bring clean energy to neighborhood families; installing electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure; and purchasing clean vehicles for state or city vehicle fleets.”
Link: Direct Pay/Elective Pay
NHSaves offers programs that help save money on energy efficiency solutions and upgrades. Covered measures include high efficiency HVAC upgrade or replacement, LED, weatherization, energy audits, refrigeration, new construction, and renovation.
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Link: www.nhsaves.com
NH Dept. of Environmental Services provides loans and grants through their Clean Water State Revolving Fund, along with low-cost financial assistance for planning, design, and construction projects to communities, nonprofits, and other local government entities for both wastewater infrastructure (collection systems, pumping stations, and wastewater treatment) and other water pollution control projects.
Link: www.des.nh.gov
SolSmart is a national organization that offers no-cost technical assistance to help local governments accelerate the growth of clean, affordable solar energy in their jurisdictions. They are particularly helpful when it comes to writing renewable energy zoning ordinances. Their free resources include recordings of webinars and trainings, templates, and examples. Contact CENH's Energy Circuit Rider Team (sarah@cleanenergynh.org) if you have any difficulty finding what you need on the SolSmart website.
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Link: https://solsmart.org/
The US Department of Agriculture runs the Community Facilities Program to help you develop essential community facilities in rural areas. An essential community facility is defined as a facility that provides an essential service to the local community for the orderly development of the community in a primarily rural area, and does not include private, commercial or business undertakings.
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